Mora’s outside shooting — and a 43-point combined effort by Tyler Martinez and Tim Romero — played a major role in its 71-48 win over Escalante Wednesday night in the opening round of the Northern Rio Grande Tournament, which continues through Saturday at the Pojoaque High campus in Jacona.
Pecos was to play Coronado on Thursday.

Thomas Manzano recorded 27 points, five rebounds and a pair of steals, and Momcilo Latinovic scored 21 to go with 11 rebounds as New Mexico Highlands rolled over host Colorado Christian 79-62 Monday night in Lakewood, Colo.

The victory came 24 hours after coach Joe Harge’s Cowboys (10-2 overall, 6-2 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) endured only their second defeat of the season, a 95-76 setback against then-undefeated Colorado School of Mines.

Bigger, stronger and every bit as quick and deadly from the perimeter, the West Mesa Mustangs (8-2) methodically galloped to victory Thursday night in the championship game of the 57th Stu Clark Tournament.

The Class 5A Mustangs, who quickly built a double-digit lead, defeated Robertson 85-65 to win their first Stu Clark trophy. The moment was particularly sweet for West Mesa head coach Shonn Schroer, whose father Phil was head coach at Robertson back in 1983, when the Cardinals won the Stu.

Having crowned its champion on Thursday night, the 57th Stu Clark Tournament is now a matter for history.

(See the Optic’s Web site as well as this coming Monday’s print edition of the Optic for full details on day three, which unfolded after this issue went to press.)

In Wednesday’s semifinals, Robertson endured a rugged clash against Bernalillo to reach the championship game for a second year in a row. West Las Vegas lost to bigger, faster West Mesa in the other semifinal.